Best Practices
Below are some common best practices to follow when creating and presenting multimedia content.
- Closed captions (sometimes abbreviated as “CC”) are optional transcripts that are synchronized with audio/video content, and should always be provided to the user. The spoken word, as well as relevant sounds, are displayed as text on the screen. Conversely, subtitles are captions presented in a language other than the one that is being spoken on a video; open captions are captions that cannot be turned off (i.e., they are burned into the video).
- Color contrast refers to the difference in color tone between text and its background. For example, yellow text on a white background is difficult to read for even an individual with excellent vision. When presenting text on both solid backgrounds and images, try to ensure a stark difference in color. An easy way to check this is by using a program such as TPGi Colour Contrast Analyser.
- Alternative Text (also abbreviated as alt text), is text read aloud by screen readers which concisely describes images and other multimedia (including social media posts). Most software will provide a way to provide alternative text when inserting an image. When doing so, provide a succinct description of the image so that anyone would have a general understanding of its purpose if they could not see it.
Accessibility Testing Tools
Instructions may be written for older or newer versions of the applications. Check with your IT support staff regarding the availability of these applications and tools.
Browser Extensions
- Accessibility Insights for Web (Chrome and Edge)
- ARC Toolkit (Chrome)
- aXe: the Accessibility Engine (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge)
- Chrome lens (Chrome)
- High Contrast (Chrome)
- IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker (Chrome)
- Siteimprove Accessibility Checker (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge)
- WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool Browser Extensions (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge)
- Window Resizer (Chrome)
Color Contrast Checkers
- TPGi Colour Contrast Analyser (Windows and Mac desktop application)
- WebAIM Contrast Checker (web-based application)
Grayscale and Color Mode Testing
- Android: Change Text & Display Settings
- iPhone or iPad: Use Display and Text Size Preferences
- Mac: Mac Display Colors
- Windows: Window Color Filters
Screen Magnifiers
- ZoomText (screen magnifier, Windows only)
Built-in Accessibility Checkers
- Adobe Acrobat: Adobe PDF Document Accessibility Checker
- Microsoft applications: Microsoft Accessibility Checker
Screen Readers
Screen readers are assistive technology that convert what is visually on a webpage (text, images, videos, etc.) into audio speech or braille.
- JAWS® (Job Access With Speech) (paid, Windows only)
- NVDA Screen Reader (free, Windows only)
- VoiceOver (built into Apple operating systems)
- Narrator (built into Windows operating systems)
- Talkback (built into Android operating systems)
Emails
Microsoft Outlook: Make your Outlook email accessible to people with disabilities
More Resources
Below are additional resources you can utilize to further your understanding of Digital Accessibility.
- Check here for detailed descriptions and examples of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
- Facebook: Make Your Facebook and Instagram Posts More Accessible